


don't give me hope.

by buskidsaos



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, I'm sorry in advance this isn't the nice fluffy fic I intended on writing, Late Night Conversations, Nightmares, Outer Space, Stars, Unrequited Love, because skimmons space kiss definitely happened you can't change my mind, but read it anyways please!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:53:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26865451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buskidsaos/pseuds/buskidsaos
Summary: "I.. this was a mistake," Daisy said suddenly, quickly moving away from Jemma and out of the cockpit. But then Jemma's warm hand reached out and grabbed her cold one, and she immediately froze."I'm not too sure it was, Dais."
Relationships: Jemma Simmons/Skye | Daisy Johnson, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons (mentioned)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 70





	don't give me hope.

**Author's Note:**

> I definitely meant for this to be a nice, lighthearted fic about the bioquake space kiss that 100% happened while they were searching for Fitz but instead this happened. And I'm not upset about it, tbh. Enjoy :)
> 
> Also, a little psa- you might just want to skip over the kiss part as it is incredibly cringey seeing as I had no idea how to write that! I apologize in advance, but hey, at least I tried.

Daisy wasn't awoken by the rough shaking of the Zephyr as they entered a nebula on their way to a new planet, or by the familiar low voices conversing in the common room outside of her bunk. No, it was a still and quiet night, which partially aided to her disorientation as she felt that something was simply.. off. It took her a moment to register that she wasn't awoken by the presence of something or someone else, but rather the absence of one- Jemma. Simmons had come to her room their first night in space, teary-eyed, and Daisy hadn't hesitated to wrap her in a hug and whisper soothing words until she fell back asleep. It became a routine after that, easier for the both of them- Simmons wasn't used to sleeping without someone at her side, and Daisy found that her nightmares were much easier to bear when she had someone to hold her after she woke up screaming in the middle of the night about the events of the past year. 

She sat up slowly with a yawn, checking her watch (which was kind of a pointless thing to have in space, seeing as time is relative and all). She and Jemma couldn't have gone to sleep more than two hours ago, and they weren't due up for another 3. Her exhausted body protested as she hauled herself out of bed and shrugged on an oversized sweatshirt (it was Coulson's, and it still vaguely carried his scent) before quietly exiting the bunk, being careful not to disturb any of the Zephyr's other passengers. She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering- the spaceship was notorious for its lack of heating. 

Nobody was in the kitchen when she passed by, though the tea kettle was sitting out on the counter with steam still rising from it. That immediately clued Daisy in to Jemma's location- the cockpit.

It'd been their spot, so to say, since the very first week of the mission. It had been a particularly rough day- the team had a close call with their fuel levels, and would've been stranded in the vacuum of space if it weren't for a Good Samaritan ship who offered them their fuel reserves. And it was also the first time they had a run-in with the confederacy. Daisy ordered the team to land on a seemingly abandoned planet, and they were ambushed suddenly by destroyers on all sides.

She'd felt like a failure. One single week as a leader, and she'd already needlessly endangered the lives of the crew. It brought back harsh memories from just months prior- although she and Yo-Yo were on good terms now, her words still stung like salt in a fresh wound.

Daisy spilled this all to Jemma, collapsing into heaving sobs the moment that they were alone. And Jemma had been there, by her side, picking up the pieces.

The brit had gently led her to the cockpit and sat them down in a chair, bodies intertwined. She'd wiped away the tears and began pointing at the stars.

_"Do you see that constellation, Daisy? It's called Serpens. It's composed of many stars, but my favorite is Theta Serpentis. It's a triple star system, the brightest of them all. Isn't it just gorgeous?"_

_Daisy shifted in her embrace slightly, burrowing her face in the crook of the smaller girl's neck._

_"Why do you like stars so much, Jem?"_

_Jemma stared out at the sky pensively, thinking._

_"Well, I suppose it's because no matter where we are in the world, no matter the time, the stars are always there. Even when we can't see them they're still out there. I just think it's beautiful to think about. So few things in life are constant.." her breath hitched slightly, and she blinked back the sting in the back of her eyes- "but the stars are always there."_

_Daisy smiled contentedly._

_"I like that," she murmured. "can you tell me more about them?"_

It wasn't a rarity for one of the other crew members- typically Davis- to come up to the cockpit in the morning, preparing to chart the team's course for whatever their destination was that day and find the two women sound asleep, curled up together. 

Daisy could make out Jemma's small figure as she climbed the steps and stared out into the vastness of space. They were preparing to enter a nebula, and the sky was streaked with vibrant yellows, oranges, and pinks.

"That's amazing," she whispered, alerting Jemma of her presence. The brunette turned around slowly, hastily rubbing at her eyes.

"Daisy, what are you doing up?" she asked, voice suspiciously high pitched.

"I could ask you the same thing," she replied curtly, gesturing for the girl to move over so that she could sit. Jemma immediately relaxed into Daisy's embrace, sighing. "What's going on?"

"Nightmare," she murmured, and Daisy nodded understandingly. 

"Why didn't you wake me?" she asked, gently brushing Jemma's hair out of her face. 

"I already woke you up twice this week with my problems. I didn't want to be a bother."

"Hey, don't be ridiculous. I'm pretty sure I woke you up twice that amount. If anything, I'm the bother. But I'm always gonna be here for you, Jem. Even if it's the middle of the night."

"Well, technically we don't know what time it is seeing as we're in outer space-" Daisy cut her off, exasperated.

"Oh, c'mon, you know what I mean," she teased, happy to see Jemma's lips quirk up into a slight smile, although her gaze was still distant. Daisy knew her friend, and she knew that something was still bothering her.

"What's going on in that mind of yours?" she whispered. Jemma opened her mouth to speak, but shook her head, eyes misting over again. "Hey. Look at me," she coaxed, and she obliged after a moment, light eyes staring into dark.

"There's just that I've been thinking about, I suppose," she finally answered.

"Really? Like what?" 

It happened before either one of them could really even register what they were doing. One second, Jemma was staring so intently at Daisy, something new and foreign in her eyes, and the next, their lips met.

Daisy didn't even have time to be surprised. Jemma's lips were soft and sweet and tasted like the peppermint chapstick she put on every night before bed. The kiss was gentle yet euphoric, and she almost protested when they finally broke apart until she remembered the gravity of the situation.

They were sleep deprived, in space, and on a search for Jemma's dead husband.

And yet when Daisy finally brought herself to meet Jemma's eyes once again, she was surprised to see they weren't filled with regret. No- the look she was giving was nothing short of unconditional love.

Immediately, guilt bubbled up inside of her.

"I.. this was a mistake," Daisy said suddenly, swiftly moving away from Jemma and out of the cockpit. But then Jemma's warm hand reached out and grabbed her cold one, and she immediately froze.

"I'm not too sure it was, Dais." 

The brunette jerked her hand away, but stayed there, unmoving.

"How can you say that? After _everything?_ We've been in space, looking for _him,_ for two months. You.. you can't just.." she tapered off, refusing to let herself cry. "Don't give me hope, Simmons."

It was painfully silent for a few minutes until Jemma finally broke through.

"You're right. I was tired, disoriented, and.. it won't happen again." Daisy released a breath, nodding.

"Good. That's... good. I, uh.. I'm going to go back to bed." she couldn't bring herself to turn around and face her friend.

"Maybe I'll sleep in my own bunk for the night," Jemma finally said, barely audible.

"Yeah. I think that might be a good idea." 

She turned away, stepping out of the cockpit, when Simmons spoke suddenly.

"I'm sorry, Daisy. Truly." 

She paused momentarily, debating whether or not she should go back in.

"It's fine, Jemma. Really. Let's just forget about it." Daisy hastily exited before the other girl could get another word in, forcing herself to make it back to her bunk before she broke down.

She knew she wouldn't be able to 'just forget about it'. Not when she'd wanted that moment for _years._ But she'd moved on before, and she could do it again.

Maybe if it'd happened earlier, if Daisy-then-Skye hadn't been so engrossed in discovering her past and Jemma hadn't been so avoidant of her own feelings (they were there, Daisy knew, because Jemma'd admitted it one drunken night on the Bus, and forgotten she'd said anything by the next morning.) But it was too late for what-if's and could-have-beens. They were on a mission.

And the last thing that Daisy needed was false hope.

**Author's Note:**

> please don't hate me :)


End file.
